42. Individual Sabre Fencing

Event: Women's Individual Sabre
Date: 17th February 2014
Location: Colchester and District Fencing Club, Gilberd School, Colchester
Cost: £25 for one month membership
Rules: Individual fencing bouts last for three periods of three minutes each, or until one fencer has scored 15 hits against their opponent. In the event of a tie athletes fence for one more minute with one randomly assigned 'priority'. The first to score a hit is the winner, but if no hits are scored the 'priority' athlete wins the bout. In Sabre, which is derived from a cavalry sword, fencers usually score hits with the edge of the weapon on a target area limited to anywhere above the waist.

   

The Event:

           

Scores:

Ellie: 15

Sarah: 6

 

London 2012 Winner: Kim Ji- Yeon, South Korea.   

 

Comments:  

Sarah: The Sabre feels like a real swashbuckling sword compared to the Foil and Epee, and was originally the weapon of choice for cavalry men duelling on top of their horses. We both took a shine to this weapon, and after our introduction to the basic swiping moves, we couldn't wait for a match. We were warned that this weapon can really hurt, but we avoided any injuries and I thoroughly enjoyed our bout. It felt much faster and bouncier than the other two swords, and although it was a bit of a white-wash in regards to the scores (I'm blaming my shorter arms hmm), I'd love to give this one another go. 

Ellie: I LOVE SABRE! Yes, I was imagining myself on a horse, riding into battle! There was something about this weapon that inspired my imagination and I found myself trying to score points in a much more varied way. It was very interesting to be actively encouraged to aim for the head! Personally, I found the Sabre to be a very dynamic weapon, giving a wider opportunity for scoring and a larger range of shots. It seemed to be a bit more natural to me. Also, the guard on a Sabre looks great and I really felt like a fencer. 

41. Team Epee Fencing

Event: Women's Team Epee
Date: 14th February 2014
Location: Colchester and District Fencing Club, Gilberd School, Colchester
Cost: £25 for one month membership
Rules: Teams of three fencers compete against opponents over a series of nine three-minute bouts, with the aim of accumulating a maximum of 45 hits to win the match. Hits are recorded electronically, and are scored by hitting the opponent with the tip of the weapon. Epee is the heaviest weapon and allows both fencers to score at the same time, and the whole body is a target

   

The Event: 

Ellie vs Sarah

 Aaron vs Mark

Maia vs Neil

Teams:

Team Sarah: Sarah, Mark, Neil.

Team Ellie: Ellie, Maia, Aaron.

 

Scores:

Team Sarah: 45 v 38 Team Ellie

 

London 2012 Winners: China.  

 

Comments:  

Sarah: We're on a roll with Fencing and this evening encountered our first of the team events. After getting to grips with the rules, and basic adding up skills, we were away. The fast moving bouts were really fun, and the team structure gave it an extra competitive edge. It was great to fight more experienced fencers and see how much more skilled they were! Everyone has a different style and I tried to pick up some tips whilst watching the others. This is the first event where we've had to bend the rules a little and played with mixed gender teams (as opposed to all women). It felt a little like cheating at first, but the other ladies in the club were all busy with competition preparation, so we're very grateful for the men stepping in to help us out!  

Ellie: News Flash. Fencing hurts. Especially when fencing against people who know what they're doing! That being said this was a great event and thoroughly enjoyable. It was really fast paced and I felt myself thinking more of tactics during and in between matches than in previous lessons. To be involved in and watch so many matches meant, as Sarah says, that we could see the technical differences between all the fighters. It was fascinating! 
I'd like to mention the parents who were there watching their children; they really got behind each of us and it was so heartening to hear them cheering and encouraging us when we scored points against our exceptional competitors. This has been a very feel-good event indeed! 

Big thanks to everyone who helped us with this one, especially Aaron, Maia, Mark and Neil!

 

40. Individual Epee Fencing

Event: Women's Individual Epee
Date: 10th February 2014
Location: Colchester and District Fencing Club, Gilberd School, Colchester
Cost: £25 for one month membership
Rules: The bout lasts for three periods of three minutes each, or until one fencer has scored 15 hits against their opponent. In the event of a tie, athletes fence for a further minute, with one of the athletes randomly assigned 'priority'. The first to score a hit is the winner, but if no hits are made during the minute then the 'priority' athlete wins. Hits are recorded electronically, and are scored by hitting the opponent with the tip of the weapon. Epee is the heaviest weapon and allows both fencers to score at the same time, and the whole body is a target.  

   

The Event:

                      

Score:

Ellie: 15
Sarah: 13

London 2012 Winner: Yana Shemyakina, Ukraine.

Comments:  
Sarah: Before our match we'd had a few lessons covering the basics of beginners fencing; focusing on footwork, lunges, parry and riposte and had put the moves into practice in measured bouts against different opponents. The match was much quicker than our practice fights, and hugely enjoyable. I found myself focusing on Ellie rather than the tip of her epee sword, and definitely lost track of her point a few times just before it jabbed me in the leg. As the whole body is the target in Epee, there is a lot of defend and I found myself getting a bit too focused on attacking rather than defence. We have four other fencing events to go, I'm really looking forward to getting back on the piste and trying to focus more on tactics.  

Ellie: Did you know that Fencing is one of only four sports that has appeared in every modern Olympic Games? Well, it is and I'm full of fencing-based facts like that! Did you know that the thicker part of the blade near the grip is called the forte and that's where we get the word from? Anyway, to the game...after a start that saw both of us 'break' our weapons we were off. About half way through I remembered to bend my legs which made a lot of difference to the way I moved and sort of relaxed me. It was a much faster pace than I was expecting which is interesting as Epee is considered the slower of the three swords. Fencing is a sport that combines fast feet, attention and tactics so it's wonderful to have got to grips with the basics and been able to apply them in this match.